Tip: Keep a Journal to Strengthen Your Disability Claim

Keeping a detailed journal of how your disability affects you on a daily basis can be helpful in strengthening your disability claim. In your journal, you should include:

Activities you can no longer do because of your disability

Activities that are affected by your injury or disability (Note whether it is necessary for you to take breaks during activities)

The date and time of any incidents or occurrences linked to your disability, for example, seizures, headaches, or episodes of pain

How long the events last and the circumstances that triggered the event

A list of medications you have been prescribed

Side effects of the medication

Writing down which parts of the body are aching as well as describing the nature of the pain can also help you effectively depict your pain. There is no need to prepare your journal in formal writing. You can keep it simple yet descriptive, and note your everyday feelings and symptoms of pain and how they affect your daily life.

By providing a detailed view of your current condition, you may greatly improve your chances of being awarded disability benefits. Keeping a detailed journal can also help the doctors, caseworkers, and others who are assigned to your case to understand fully everything that you are facing every day and how your pain restricts your functioning.